Four Edna Karr School students are finalists in the Posse Scholarship competition, a full-tuition, four-year scholarship worth over $100,000. Stanley Blackman and Charlie Draughter are Posse finalists for Tulane University, and Jasper Landry and Brian Washington are finalists for Bard College in New York.

From left are Edna Karr students Stanley Blackman, Charlie Draughter, Brian Washington and Jasper Landry. They are finalists in the Posse Scholarship competition.

“All those guys are really incredible,” said Emily Ferris, director of admissions and development at Karr.

Posse is a college access and youth leadership development program that identifies, recruits and selects student leaders from public high schools and sends them in groups called Posses to some of the top colleges and universities in the country. Posse Scholars are from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York and Washington, D.C.

Ferris said that the four students now must appear before admissions panels at their respective schools. Even if they are not selected, Posse finalists are often offered scholarships by other colleges, she said.

Ferris said Blackman hopes to study chemical engineering at Tulane. He chooses to wear a tie every day to school, even though it is not required in the Karr dress code. “He is the most polite young man.”

Blackman does mixed martial arts, “and is very close to being professional,” she said. He also holds a job, working at American Eagle.

Draughter is student body president. He was raised by his grandmother. If you visit Karr, “he’ll be one of first people you’ll meet” — he loves showing people around the school.

“In addition to being active in student government and our current student body president, Charlie has been captain of the baseball team, in National Honor Society and a member of the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Entrepreneurship team (sponsored by the Idea Village and Brees Dream Foundation),” Ferris said. “He is looking to study math, engineering, and in the future, possibly law.”

Washington “could have almost graduated last year,” Ferris said. “He took a lot of senior classes his junior year.”

Washington wants to move out of state and “see new things. That’s why he’s really excited for the Bard Posse.”

Landry is interested in insects and “wants to study forensic entomology.” Landry, who also was raised by his grandmother, “also wants to get out of state,” Ferris said.

The Posse Scholarship does not cover room and board.

Ferris said the four Karr finalists will probably find out about the Posse scholarships in early December.